Building the evidence base on the impact of youth activities

The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has commissioned an SQW-led consortium to conduct its 'Youth Evidence Base' research, examining the impact of youth interventions on life outcomes. The research project involves three strands.

  1. The first is a longitudinal analysis of datasets including the Millennium Cohort Study and British Cohort Study. SQW is leading this strand in partnership with Dr Cara Booker from the University of Essex's Institute for Social and Economic Research. We are examining the extent to which involvement in youth activities (such as attendance at youth clubs) is linked to outcomes in later life.
  2. The second strand is a systematic review of existing literature, examining the impact of involvement in youth activities on young people’s life outcomes. This strand is being led by Associate Professors Dr Tom Perry and Dr Rebecca Morris at the University of Warwick, with assistance from SQW consultants.
  3. The third strand is a local-level analysis of the impact of youth club closures. SQW will analyse secondary datasets exploring levels of local spending on youth provision, and how this correlates with outcomes for young people and wider communities. We will also identify up to six case study areas and speak with a range of local stakeholders to understand how and why youth provision might be associated with these outcomes.

The national charity UK Youth is also a partner on this project, providing strategic guidance. UK Youth has also recruited a youth panel of young people aged 16 to 25, which is providing feedback on the research plans and findings. We will be reporting findings from our longitudinal and local-level analyses in Spring 2023, and the literature review in Autumn 2023.

If you would like to know more about this project, please contact Will Millard.